Plant Based Cooking. With Sass.

Why is it, during the coldest days of the year when there is absolutely no produce, all I crave are vegetables? Does this happen to anyone else? Or maybe it is just because my favorites are the ones in seaason this time of year and I'm ready to roast everything and go to town.

I'm looking at you butternut and Brussels.

A lot of people will tell me they crave comfort food this time of year. You know, the meatloaf, the turkeys, the mashed potatoes, the pies. And, you know what, I crave all of those things too! There is nothing more satisfying than a big old thing covered in cheese or gravy or all that goodness that comes around holiday cooking.

Also the cookies. I can't handle it.

But I dunno, guys, about this eating all carbs all the time business. Personally, I love some greens on my plate too. For one, I just like food with color in general, but I find a good salad really balances out the other foods piled on my plate. Anyone with me here or what? My sister in her 6-year old self would disagree They’re all about piling your plate high with beige, and want absolutely nothing to do with any color. A meal was turkey, mashed potatoes, and rolls for Thanksgiving. Now don't get me wrong: I love the beige food too! But there is something about all that produce showing their best that makes me go weak in the knees.

So first let us go to this sauce. It is simply BANGING. Both literally and figuratively. It is the right amount of spice and creamy and sweet and salty that it will cause an explosion in your mouth. But not like Gusher explosion. Like a full on flavor explosion.

And now all I want are Gushers. Would you blame me?

So I use the sauce (which, let us be real, is the real star here) to top some killer roasted broccoli. I use my method for roasting vegetables on the bottom, but feel free to roast anything you've got around. Some of my favorites include carrots, radishes, sweet potato, and, of course, Brussels (my one true love). I've even used the sauce to top toast. I know, it does not sound appetizing, but, after topping it with roasted red peppers and sea salt, it was bomb.

So go, be merry and don't stress it. This salad is great because it can be served hot or room temperature, which is one less thing for you to worry about. I love recipes that do double duty. Hi five!

Roasted Broccoli with Pomegranate Tahini Sauce

stuff:pomegranate tahini sauce:

1/4 cup tahini

1 tablespoon yellow miso

1/2 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce

1/2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup pomegranate seeds (or 2 tablespoons pomegranate juice)

salt and pepper, to taste

broccoli:

1 bunch of broccoli (around 1.5 lbs) cut into florets

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt + pepper

meanderings:Preheat the oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit. Line a sheet with parchment paper. Toss the broccoli with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Spread broccoli out on the baking sheet, and roast until the tops are crispy and the stems are crisp and tender, approximately 25 minutes.

While the broccoli is roasting, combine the ingredients for the pomegranate tahini sauce in a food processor. Blend until the sauce is smooth and creamy. If you don't have a food processor, substitute 2 tablespoons of pomegranate juice for the seeds and whisk by hand.

Pour roasted broccoli on a serving dish. Drizzle 1/2 of the sauce on the broccoli. Serve roasted broccoli with additional sauce (the sauce is also great on rice bowls!). EAT!